Barbara Murray Dip SBA, is an Irish botanical artist based in Sligo on the wild Atlantic coast of West Ireland — a landscape rich in native flora that has shaped both her eye and her practice.
Recognised by the the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA), one of the world’s leading organisations for botanical painting, Barbara combines scientific observation with artistic sensitivity to create works that celebrate the natural world in precise, luminous detail.
Working primarily in watercolour on ultra smooth, hot pressed, acid free 300Gsm cotton paper that is age resistant. She paints mostly using transparent colours which gives a luminosity to her work.
Barbara paints directly from living and freshly gathered specimens, capturing the character of each subject through close observation of form, texture, and colour. Her work ranges from the native wildflowers of the Sligo countryside to cultivated garden specimens which are rendered with the meticulous care that botanical art demands. Her studio in Sligo, is a tranquil rural setting surrounded by the exceptional natural beauty of the West of Ireland. She enjoys gardening, walking in the countryside, listening to gentle classical music while painting and is a member of the Sligo Orpheus Choir.
Her paintings are held in private collections in Ireland and abroad, and she exhibits at regional shows such as the Boyle Arts Festival, Clare Galway Art Expo and selected art fairs.
Barbara is a member of the Irish Society of Botanical Artists (ISBA), the Society of Botanical Artists (SBA), London and the Botanical Art Society of Australia (BASA) contributing an essay on the Life, Times and Work of Pierre-Joseph Redoute to their quarterly newsletter. Two of her paintings have been selected for exhibit at the 18th Biennial ‘The Art of Botanical Illustration Exhibition’ hosted by the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne from 19th September - 4th October 2026. It is one of Australia’s leading botanical illustration exhibitions attracting a large audience of art lovers, collectors and gardeners.
Original Works and Limited Giclée Prints
A delicate sweeping curve of Clematis montana var. rubens ' Elizabeth’ which reflects its growing pattern. The small star shaped blooms with bright yellow anthers are profuse in late spring to early summer and cover the old stone wall and fence at the front of my garden. As the vine twists around it releases a light, sweet, vanilla chocolate fragrance which attracts our native pollinators.
Clematis montana var. rubens ‘Elizabeth’
Himalayan clematis ’Elizabeth’
Medium: Watercolour
Size: A3 29.7 cmsx 42 cms / 11.7 inches × 16.5 inches
Framed: 48cms x 60cms / 18.9 inches x 23.62 inches
Glass: UV Protected & Anti-reflective
Paper: St Cuthberts Mill Bockingford, 300gsm hot pressed, acid free, archival paper.
Bóthar na Marbh is the Irish for the road of the dead. It’s an old lane way which refers to ‘The Great Famine’ of 1845-1857 when local women brought bodies to the hilltop for the men, working on the roads to collect and bring down to St. Thomas’s Church of Ireland graveyard for burial. A large limestone rock known as the ‘Famine Rock’ marks the graves. To this day locals refer to the laneway as ‘Barr na marbh’ meaning the summit or top of the road, which is approximately 140 metres above sea level, located in Kilmactranny in the Northeast of County Sligo on the borders of Leitrim and Roscommon. I have included the Irish plant names to honour the people who lived and died here from the ancient warriors ,the neolithic farmers who cultivated the land and raised cattle to the more recent people who survived famine and made it what it is today … a truely magical place to live
Rosa canina
Dog Rose, Feirdhris
Fragana vesca
Wild Strawberry, Su talun fiáin
Dactylorhiza fuchii ssp.fuchii
Common Spotted-orchid, Nuacht bhallach
Veronica chamaedrys
Germander Speedwell, Lus cré talun
Medium: Watercolour
Size: A3 29.7cms x 42cms / 11.7inches x 16.5 inches
Frame: 48cms x 60cms / 18.9inches x 23.62 inches
Glass: UV Protected & Anti-reflective
Paper: St. Cuthberts Mill Bockingford 300gsm, hot pressed, acid free, archival paper
A mixed composition of small flora from my summer garden. They are usually hidden among the shrubs. A particular favourite of mine is the Orchid Primrose.
Primula vialii
Orchid Primrose
Dianthus ' Cocktail Cherry’
Carnation ‘Cocktail Cherry’
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Impatiens walleriana
Busy Lizzie
Medium: Watercolour
Size: A3 29.7cms x 42cms / 11.7inches x 16.5 inches
Frame: 48cms x 60cms / 18.9 inches x 23.9 inches
Glass: UV Protected & Anti reflective
Paper: St. Cuthberts Bockingford 300gsm, hot pressed, acid free, archival paper